Overload
by Ohmega- ThEND
Summary: Never known to be an open book, Apollo's held many secrets from her friends; but when a new secret, with serious consequences, is revealed, could it be too late for the Titans to help their friend? Rated T for some violence. *Probably best that you're familiar with my previous TT fics before reading this one ;D
1. Chapter 1

**Apollo's POV:**

Dark, cold, silent… alone. All around me are broken gurneys and abandoned rooms as I'm lead down the dark dank hallway. The cracks in the walls and dents in the floor were splashed with mold and rot, and infested with rats and roaches. The eerie darkness gave way to a single flickering light, trembling weakly in the room down the hall where a shadow stood waiting for me in the doorway. Amorphous and unmoving, the shadow remained still- summoning my approach. Despite my attempts to stop, my body continued to move on towards the shadow in the flickering light. The sound of my footsteps echoed down the corridor, the faint hiss of splashing water and crackling concrete whispering beneath my reluctant feet. Growing closer, the backlit shadow waited robotically its now-visible features were revealed in the short bursts of light from the struggling bulb in the room- sporadically revealing the shadow's single slate-grey eye staring coldly behind a cold metal mask. It was then that I was finally able to stop moving. I could feel my heart in my throat and my pulse pounding like a drum as I struggled to breathe, looking up at the shadow. At first, neither of us moved; for what felt like an eternity, we just stared at each other, until the shadow finally made the first move- leaning forward and stretching a hand towards me. There was a soft splash as I stepped backwards into a small puddle, refusing the shadow's gesture. Its hand still outstretched and that grey eye still staring into me, the shadow took a dominant step forward and finally spoke. "It's time…" the voice said, in a cold emotionless voice. "Come."

I took another step back, but instead found myself one step closer to the shadow. "I don't like this," I said, my voice timid and higher in pitch, like that of a small child. "Daddy I-" the shadow's eye focused in on my own, its glare angered and cold. "Master…" I said apologetically, watching his gaze soften in response. "I- I don't want to I… I'm afraid…" The shadow's hand remained outstretched; though it was obvious it wasn't asking me to take it.

"I know. But there is no reason to be," the shadow replied. "You've done well and come so far. I can tell that you are ready…"

"Bu-" before I could object any further, my wrist was grabbed and I could feel myself being pulled into the room. "Why do we need to do this? They didn't see me. I did well… _didn't I_ …?" I asked, as he led me toward a steel chair and a surgical table- the only sanitary things in the room.

"And you will do even better when we are finished."

"Why can't I just finish the Wayne-Tech project? I've managed to get-" his grip tightened and I could tell he was getting mad as he pulled me faster. The light's flickering had begun to slow as I staggered through the erratically blinking light, absorbing the filthy stench and clutter of the obliterated room. As the light flashed again, I was led past a broken surgical cabinet- its steel doors dented and warped as they hung open on rusting hinges. Looking in at its empty shelves, I could see my reflection being lead toward the chair; but while I recognized the scrawny eight-year-old being dragged forward, it felt impossible to acknowledge the terrified child's image as my own. Sternly, he sat me in the chair and turned slowly towards the table to prepare the syringes. As he approached the table, he spun around quickly and shot me a foreboding glare. It was clear he didn't want me to move. While he fiddled with the syringes, I looked around the room; the overturned operating table- now a covered patio for rats- was weathered and decayed, but still had enough surface area, salvageable enough to reflect the terror I could no longer hide. Try as I might to remain calm, I could feel my body tremble with every breath and I wasn't sure how much longer I could suppress the urge to throw up. Looking at the child looking back at me in the reflection, her image blurred in and out of focus as tears began to well in her cerulean-blue eyes. Quickly I wiped the tears away and did my best to steady my sniffles and labored breathing, knowing how angry he got when I cried. Desperately I strained to stop before he gave me a 'true reason to cry'; but as he turned back toward me, tapping away any lingering air bubbles in the syringe, I could tell that he'd heard.

"Come now, my dear," he falsely cooed as he approached and proceeded to roll up the sleeve on my left arm. I could feel my heart skip a beat, and watched, terrified, as my veins pulsed. "This is what you've worked for. I admit," he paused and wiped my sweaty forearm with a sterile cloth, "I'm quite proud of you… I didn't expect you to excel so quickly." He looked up at me with that asphalt-grey eye- just as hard and cold as the hue it resembled. Even behind his mask, I could tell he was trying to smile to put me at ease, but we both knew his expression was as hollow as the syringe tip he directed toward my arm. Watching it grow closer, my arm- my entire body- began to shake, and I could feel the warmth of tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Master," I choked out in desperation, hoping he'd look me in the eye and stop. Robotically, he ignored my plea and continued. The syringe was millimeters from my flesh. The shaking had subsided and given way to frozen terror, when I finally tore my arm away and pushed him off of me, jumping up from the chair and knocking it to the floor. "Please… Daddy!?" Cradling the syringe in his hands, he caught his balance and stood up, looming over me. "You can't-" my final plea had fallen on deaf ears, and left mine ringing, as I was struck in the face. Wiping the blood from my temple, I had no time to react before he grabbed my shoulder and slammed me into the wall, the remaining air knocked out of me as my back hit the crumbling wall. I could feel my arm being wrenched up against the wall and the cold sting of the syringe as it pierced my skin. In the final flash of the dying light bulb, I watched as he dispensed the contents of the syringe into my body, then dropped it into the rest of the litter on the floor, before stepping back and staring at me, lifelessly. Looking down at the empty syringe, I tried to grasp the fact that its contents were now inside of me, flowing freely through my body and making their way through my now-burning arm. Again, I forbid myself to cry, but in using my strength to force back the tears, I allowed my legs to go weak and fell to the floor, looking up at him as he approached.

"Excellent," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair and wiping a tear from my chin with his thumb. "We'll finish with the final administration next week…" he patted my shoulder and helped me to my feet, before leading me out of the room. "My apprentice…"


	2. Chapter 2

Early morning and the sun's timid rays are funneled through the scattered holes of the thick morning clouds. On the roof of Titan's Tower, Apollo sat in silence and looked out over the city alone, before being joined by a friend. "Good morning," Robin said warmly as he took a seat beside his friend and took in the muted sunrise. At first Apollo didn't respond, her attention glued to her arm, her left sleeve pushed up past her elbow, before she finally looked up and acknowledged her friend.

"Hm… Oh, hey," she yawned sleepily. "Good morning," she said softly as looked toward him and smiled briefly before turning her attention to the sea below. Following her gaze down to the ocean below, Robin looked from the lively ocean waves to the drained expression on his friend's face.

"Everything okay?" he asked, focusing on the dark bags under her eyes and her exhausted, sluggish aura. "Rough night?"

"Yeah," Apollo sighed while wiping her tired eyes; closing her eyes, she brushed her bangs aside and tentatively rubber her left eye, then repositioned her hair back over it before turning to face her friend. "Had a hard time sleeping last night. …Crazy dream…" She whispered, the gruesome images of last night's flashback replaying in her mind. Looking out on the horizon, she didn't notice the faint glow growing behind her bangs until the sudden onset of a headache led her to reach toward her face again, the light from her shielded eye reflecting on her palm. Nervous, Apollo immediately turned away from Robin again and slammed both of her eyes shut before placing a hand to her head.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked in concern, reaching out to his friend as she continued to cringe in pain, her eyes slammed shut and a hand to her left temple. When she didn't reply, he proceeded to ask again, watching her fist clench in response to his question; instead, he chose to change the subject. "What was your dream about?" he asked with curious, but still concerned, anticipation of a reply. "Must have been intense if it could keep you up all night," he continued lightly, only for his response to be met with a defeated sigh as Apollo looked from the sky, down to her arm, before rising from her seat and returning to the tower, whispering under her breath as she walked.

"…You have no idea…"

* * *

Downstairs in the kitchen, the morning bustled with chatter harmonizing with crackling bacon on the stove and full mouths chewing. Leaving the clearing skies overhead, Robin reentered the tower and proceeded to the kitchen for breakfast. Making his way to the refrigerator, he greeted his friends and poured himself a glass of milk while putting in his breakfast order for Cyborg as he happily flipped pancakes on the stovetop. Taking a seat at the table, he looked around and bid his friends a good morning, acknowledging each of their smiling faces: Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven- "Where's Apollo?" he asked, when he realized that the teams sixth member was not present for breakfast.

"In her room," Cyborg replied casually. "She just left here with some orange juice," he continued, turning around with a platter stacked high with pancakes for himself and his friends. "I asked if she was having breakfast, said she wasn't hungry."

"Ya ask me, she didn't look too good," Beast Boy added, taking a bite of his tofu bacon, as he recounted her exhausted, sluggish appearance.

"She probably just went back to sleep," Raven added as she levitated several pancakes towards hers and Starfire's plates. "If she's not feeling well, it's best we let her get some sleep." Unanimously the team agreed and, despite his lingering concerns, Robin picked up a fork and proceeded with breakfast. As everyone happily enjoyed their pancakes, Starfire took a sip of her orange juice and reached for a second serving of pancakes and eggs, only to find that she was out of mustard. Realizing that she couldn't enjoy her meal without the golden brown delight to garnish her pancakes, she excused herself from the table to get another bottle from her room. Making her way down the hall, she passed Apollo's open door and glanced inside to see her friend lying on her bed, silently sleeping. After retrieving a large jar of mustard from her room, Starfire made her way back to the kitchen. Approaching Apollo's room, Starfire took another peek into the room to check on her unwell friend; but upon peeking into her room, she saw Apollo, still asleep in her bed, but not in the same peaceful state she'd been in several minutes prior. Her once soft, serene expression had been overcome by distress and struggle as she harshly rolled over in her bed, tossing and turning while violently kicking the blankets from her body. Still watching her friend's struggle, Starfire entered Apollo's room and knelt before her bed, firmly nudging her shoulder and softly calling her name as she tried to wake her from her exhaustive nightmare. Brushing her shoulder again, Starfire stumbled backwards, startled as Apollo sprung up from her bed, her eyes bursting open to focus on a clearly shaken Starfire. Sitting up in her bed, Apollo looked around her and absorbed her surroundings, seemingly confused by the sight of her bedroom, as if she didn't know where she was. Looking back at Starfire, a jar of mustard clenched in her nervous hands, Apollo- recognizing her friend- finally began to calm down. Her muscles relaxed, she released her blankets from her vice-grip and exhaled slowly.

"Starfire," she sighed, trying to regain her composure as she scooted forward and rose from the edge of her bed. Noticing the Tamaranean's gaze remained fixed on her face, Apollo looked at her friend in confusion a moment longer before frantically fixing her tousled hair and confirming that her bangs were still covering her left eye. Once she was sure her eye was fully shielded, Apollo turned back to her friend and prepared to question Starfire on what she feared she'd seen, but before she could speak, Starfire put her worries at ease with a concerned comment of her own.

"You are crying," Starfire said sympathetically, just as the tickle of a single tear graced Apollo's chin. Hesitantly, Apollo wiped the tear from her jaw and looked down at the salty drop, now smeared over her fingers, then up to Starfire, her eyes wide and trembling with heartfelt concern as she prepared to ask her friend what was wrong.

"-I'm fine," Apollo said sharply, preventing Starfire from speaking. "Guess I was flopping around so much in my sleep that I must have twisted my arm or something," she said artificially, looking down at her arm- the sleeve still pushed up to her mid forearm- as she remembered the nightmarish flashbacks of the syringe being forced inside of it. "I'm okay," she assured as she pretended to stretch and flex the pain out of her arm, before wiping another tear from her eyes. Wanting to believe her, Starfire slowly began to relax. Her expression still one of concern, she put on a soft smile and tried to change the subject.

"The others said you were sick," she said, her voice unable to hide its awkward nerves. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Apollo lied with a reluctant yawn. Hesitantly, she continued, "I guess I just needed some rest," she said before taking a final sip of her orange juice. "You can assure the others that I'm not contagious," she said with a hollow laugh as she pulled her sleeve back down and, remarking on how she was finally hungry, followed Starfire out of her bedroom and back to the kitchen. Finally at ease, Starfire described the delicious pancakes Cyborg had made and insisted that Apollo have some. "Sure," Apollo said with a smile, candidly wiping her eyes clear of any lingering tears. "But I think I'll pass on the mustard," she said looking at the large jar in her friend's hands. "We do still have syrup, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

Early afternoon, and the Titans began their day with a workout in the training room. Poised and silent, Raven meditated in the far corner of the gym, while Cyborg spotted for the green gorilla lifting at the weight station. Gliding overhead, Starfire honed her aim with aerial target practice, leaving Robin and Apollo to master their hand-to-hand skills below. During the teams' workout session, everyone's attention was quickly drawn away from themselves and onto sparring ring in the middle of the gym as Robin and Apollo began round two of their combat practice. "Are you sure you wanna go for another round?" Apollo asked confidently, casually stretching as she spoke. "I mean, it's okay if you wanna take a break," she continued, watching Robin wipe the sweat from his brow and chin.

"I'm fine," the Boy Wonder insisted as he hurried to catch his breath. "I should be asking you the same question," Robin commented while he watched his opponent yawn deeply and massage her weary eyes. "Are you sure you got enough sleep?"

"Yes," Apollo snapped sharply, much to her friend's surprise. "I'd figure you'd be grateful I'm not 'fully charged'," she laughed. "I'm cutting you a break right now at _Level One_. But if you _still_ can't keep up…" she continued, rolling her shoulders dramatically once she realized that the others had braked from their training to watch her and Robin go another round, "there's another challenger that's more your speed," she smiled as she pointed to the wing chun dummy against the wall, winking at an embarrassed Robin when he rebuffed her taunting with an angered, but humorous, grin.

"Let's go," he replied as he assumed an offensive stance.

"Ready when you are," Apollo yawned, lazily assuming a similar combat position. The bell was rung by a green woodpecker, and immediately the two Titans began sparring. Jabs were thrown, legs shot forward with precision kicks, and the ring was a blur with the flips and dodging of its agile combatants. Ducking and weaving, Apollo moved with experienced ease as she expertly blocked Robin's attacks; moving alertly, albeit sluggishly, as she yawned again, rubbing her weary eyes while she gracefully flipped over Robin's shoulder.

"Wooooo! Go O!" Beast Boy cheered excitedly, much to Starfire's opposition.

"Yes Robin!" she cried enthusiastically as Robin clipped his opponent. "Victory is yours!"

"You sure about that?" Beast Boy asked competitively, watching Apollo spring up from the ground and repeatedly jab at Robin with lightning speed.

"I don't know," Cyborg said with a jovial smile, his eyes darting back and forth between his friends as they continued to flaunt their martial arts skills. "This looks like it's gonna be a close one!"

"No way!" Beast Boy shouted in disbelief, before turning to the only Titan who wasn't watching the fight. "Raven, what do you think? Tie-breaker!" Unamused, Raven looked up from her mantra and briefly watched the sparring match. Carelessly, she shrugged. "Okay," Beast Boy said with a shrug, "guess it's still a tie…"

"Not hardly!" Apollo shouted as she dodged a kick and slid, on her knees, between Robin's legs. "Come on," she scoffed playfully as she sprung to her feet and countered his attack with her own series of blows. "Is that it? And I thought you trained with the best?" she asked mockingly. Absorbing in her taunts, Robin's competitive streak took over and he upped his intensity, coming at Apollo with even more focus and drive than before. Expertly she dodged and blocked his attack, much to Robin's frustrations; but as he continued to fight on the offensive, Robin noticed his friend gradually tiring, her lack of sleep growing more evident with every dodge.

"Are you sure you don't want a break?" Cyborg asked from the other side of the ring.

"Yeah, you're usually much quicker than this." Robin agreed with concern while easily blocking a right hook. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say _you_ ' _re_ the one who needs a new opponent," he continued, looking at the wing chun dummy in the corner. "There's no workout when there's no fight," he dictated. "I'd expect more from you."

Absorbing Robin's comment, Apollo paused and reflected on similar scolding she'd endured in her childhood. Staring at her friend, she listened as his lecture continued; but while it was his lips that were moving, it wasn't his voice that she heard. "Apollo!" a cold, dead voice shouted much to her surprise. Immediately she froze. "This is unacceptable…You can't possibly be serious."

"What…?" she whispered to herself, terrified as her opponent slowly transformed into the masked monster who'd haunted her dreams the night before. Petrified, Apollo felt her stomach drop, as she kicked him away- giving her time to check her left sleeve and place a hand on her temple, to try to massage away her growing headache and Slade's image.

"Enough," Slade scoffed, his voice slowly growing more hostile, fueling her distress, her anger. "You're so overdramatic. We both know you're not hurt; I'm making you stronger… You're weak!" In an instant, Apollo found herself filled with rage. Bitter, she charged at her opponent and fought, holding nothing back!

"Apollo!" The Titans cried, but the only voice she heard was the unforgiving scolding in her head.

"Better," he said, his asphalt-grey eye still showing no signs of emotion, but his voice giving away evident feelings of the pleasure being sucked from her pain.

"Is this enough of a fight for you!?" Apollo roared, following up a double-jab cross with a roundhouse kick. "Are you finally getting what you expected? I can never please you! **You've never been satisfied!** " she shouted. The tiny voice of that eight-year old girl ringing in her ears as she dropped to the floor and clipped her tormentor. Clumsily he fell backwards, but caught himself and flipped back onto his feet.

"Better," he replied half-heartedly, before catching himself and dodging an angered blow from Apollo's bo-staff. Drawing his own staff, he quickly managed to block a blow to the face, and pushed his enraged opponent off of him, trying to defend himself as a once simple sparring exercise turned into an all-out war. "Yes!" Slade shouted excitedly. "Better! Excellent!" He continued, returning her intensity in defense. "Keep going!" he commanded authoritatively. As the positive reinforcement continued, Slade's hate-filled images and orders quickly gave way to the cries and shouting of her friends and the returning image of a now-exhausted Robin, back in the sparring ring with her. Desperately he continued to hold her back and maintain his ground against her furious attack. With the images of Slade finally gone, Apollo began to remember her sparring match with her friend and realized how suddenly she had turned it into a one-sided death match against her best friend. Immediately she dropped her staff and stared at her friend- exhausted and ashamed. Both Titans stood in silence, staring at one another in an awkward fatigue before Beast Boy finally broke the silence from behind the ring, "So… who won?" he asked confusedly, looking back and forth amongst his teammates.

"I think we're gonna call this a draw," Cyborg replied, equally shaken by the sudden increase and equally abrupt halt of the fight. "I think we've had enough intensity for one match," he continued, looking to Apollo with confused concern. "How about we call it a day?" he said, nodding to Robin in agreeance; but then, just as suddenly as the fight had been, both Robin and Cyborg- as well as the rest of the team- watched Apollo fall limply to the floor; her hand dropping from her temple and now flopped on her chest as she began convulsing on the floor of the sparring ring in the midst of a seizure.

"Apollo!" Starfire shrieked as she and the others flew to her aid and proceeded to reposition her still seizing body. "No! What is happening?" The others asked frantically as they followed Cyborg's instruction to lay her on her side and step away.

Slowly fading in and out of consciousness, Apollo lay almost paralyzed on the floor, seeing the images of her friends slipping in and out of focus- shifting between the sight of her five best friends and the demonic sight of Slade. Trying to stay conscious she struggled to focus on their faces and feel the sensation of a hand on her face as Robin tried to reposition her head and neck, gently pushing her hair away from her face as she finally faded out of consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

"…Apollo? …Apollo! Shh! She's waking up. Give her some room, guys!" voices whispered loudly as their fallen friend slowly regained consciousness. Weakly, she opened her eyes to the blurred image of Starfire worriedly floating over her while she struggled to push herself up from the bed in the Tower's infirmary. "Friend! You are unharmed!" Starfire cheered when she saw that her friend was awake. "We were afraid you had been hit away." Still disheveled, Apollo rubbed the sore spot on her head and, naturally, looked to her friends for clarification.

"She meant that you were knocked out," Beast Boy explained. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You just, flipped out, and then suddenly you stopped," he said, recounting what had happened before she'd suddenly succumbed to the seizure.

"I'm fine," Apollo assured as she gently waved Starfire away and proceeded to push herself into a sitting position. "Guess I just lost focus for a second," she continued, shaking off the disorientation as she tried to stand. "Happens all the time. No big deal-"

"-Woah now, wait a minute," Cyborg quickly interjected, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder and gently pushing her back down before she could rise from the bed. "What do you mean 'happens all the time'? You just had a grand maul seizure! _We've_ _**never**_ seen that happen before! That's a pretty big deal to us. You were out for a few minutes; we've gotta make sure you don't have a concussion or serious trauma," he continued sternly, drawing his flashlight from his shoulder and flashing it in Apollo's face. "I'm gonna need you to look you over here," he directed as he prepared to push her hair from her face. "Just pull back your-"

"- I told you I'm fine!" Apollo groaned as she sprung to her feet and fixed her hair, assuring herself that it was still covering her eye. "I'm an epileptic, okay?" she said, agitated. "I've had them for, as long as I can remember," her voice trailing off as she recounted the memories from her nightmare. "I'll admit, I probably should have told you all sooner…" she said embarrassedly, "but I've managed to keep it under control for some time now. That was the first seizure I've had in _years_. Probably just the result of a lack of sleep." She hypothesized while yawning artificially and rising to her feet, massaging any lingering traces of the seizure from her still-tingling mind. "I'll admit," she started, looking to Robin with an artificial, but reassuring smile, "you probably just snuck in a lucky punch; you all should know by now that I can take a hit," she started, shooting a foreboding glance to Cyborg, and silencing him before he could object. "I'm fine. Trust me," she continued before snatching Robin up and, with lightning speed, wrapping him up in a contorting headlock with her legs, "I'm fine." She said sternly while letting her friend go.

"Still…" Cyborg continued with concern.

"- regardless of how 'fine' you feel," Raven interjected as she fearlessly approached Apollo and placed a hand on either side of her friend's head, "we need to figure out what caused that episode. That way we can prepare for any further outbursts. If we know what triggered it, then will be more prepared to stop it-"

"-I already told you what caused it!" Apollo snapped, annoyed. "I've dealt with these things for years- since I was… eight…" she paused and reflected on her nightmare again, her vision blurring in an out of focus as the vision of the syringe approached her arm. "That was the first episode in years and you guys are acting like it's an everyday occurrence. Would you all relax? I'm fine!"

"Apollo, this is serious," Robin said calmly as he and Raven gestured for her to take a seat at the foot of the bed. "This could've been serious. You could've been hurt," he said with genuine concern. "We just want to make sure you're okay; we want to help."

"This isn't something that can be stopped," Apollo replied, frustrated. "Helping isn't possible… it's too late," she continued, whispering the last statement to herself regretfully. "Seriously, I'm fine. It's just something that I've got to live with. I guess I just didn't want you guys to live with it too." She sighed and looked past Robin and smiled to a still concerned Starfire and Beast Boy. "It's just baggage, that _you_ shouldn't feel you need to carry. I'm fine," she said to Cyborg as she stood and embarrassedly adjusted her hair in front of him.

"Okay," Cyborg and the others sighed, halfheartedly accepting their teammate's assurances. Sympathetically he looked at her eyes, almost as if he were silently apologizing for trying to reveal them both. Just then, everyone was stopped in their tracks as the tower's alarm blasted through the halls- the sirens and lights alerting the Titans of trouble.

"Titans!" Robin shouted as he and his friends blasted out of the infirmary, and to the communication system to locate the source of the trouble. Dashing out the door, Robin paused and looked to Apollo, running at his side; silently she cut him a sideways glance and, while annoyed with his lingering concern, solemnly assured him that she was okay. Accepting her word, he smiled and followed her to the communications room. "What've we got?" Robin asked as he and Apollo stood behind Raven and Beast Boy, watching them pull up information on the computer monitors.

Within minutes the Titans had an image of the crime scene and their man: "Adonis!" Beast Boy snarled, staring at the computer monitor as the battle suit-clad muscle head harassed spectators at a local car show. Watching the bully flip cars and challenge the drivers' manhood, the Titans rose from their seats and left the building. "Titans Go!" their leader cried as he and his team raced to the scene of the crime.


	5. Chapter 5

_***A/N: Hey! Sorry for the wait. I know it's been like FOREVER, but I've had to sacrifice my free time to the life-consuming monster known as work XP Hopefully this update is enough for you to forgive me. Gonna do my best to be more consistent for future chapters. Enjoy! And as always, feel free to R &R!***_

"Ha! You really think these 'muscle cars' are man-enough to impress Adonis?" The bionically-buffed bully scoffed as he hoisted another car over his head and tossed it towards the crowd of fleeing spectators. "Pfft! _I'd_ **never** be caught in a yellow ride!" he continued while approaching a gleaming yellow Lamborghini, preparing to smash the luxury vehicle to a pulp; but before he could lay a finger on the car, he was thrown aback by a sonic cannon blast to the chest.

"Hey!" Cyborg shouted, his sonic cannon still aimed and ready.

"Hands off the merchandise, Adonis!" Robin shouted as he and Apollo leapt from his motorcycle, the others all springing from Cyborg's car. "I'm sure they'd be glad to give you a ride, if you'd just ask nicely."

"Oh look, it's the 'Twerp Titans'," the mechanical muscle head jeered as he stepped away from the sports car- giving its driver time to escape and get his prized vehicle to safety. "I suppose I could take a break from judging to take care of you losers," Adonis said arrogantly, looking back at the car show before grinning cheekily at his opponents.

"Dude, you are going down!" Beast Boy shouted, before turning into rhino and leading the charge towards Adonis.

"Titans, **GO**!" Robin cried as he and the others immediately followed suit. Right away Adonis was bombarded by the immense power and determination of his opponents. Not even given a chance, he found himself blocking blows and dishing out counter-attacks of his own. Mere minutes into the battle, Adonis was quickly over powered by the united force of the Teen Titans. Bombarded by star bolts and bulldozed by a green rhinoceros, he was driven aback by the forceful fury of his opponents. Barely blocking a hard jab from Robin's bo staff, the egotistical villain tossed the Boy Wonder aside with an arrogant laugh- cut short- once he noticed lamp post being flung towards him like a baseball bat as Raven used her powers to whack the jerk in the stomach and send him careening through the local bank. Amidst the crumbling debris of the bank's exterior, citizens fled and rushed to safety in a terrified panic, whilst Adonis regained his composure and, carrying an ATM machine, charged towards the Titans, hurling the heavy machine as he ran!

"Heads up!" Beast Boy screamed as he and Starfire rushed to clear the streets of any straggling citizens, while Cyborg braced for impact and caught the ATM before it could crash into the ground.

"Yo!" Cyborg shouted after dropping the battered machine aside and firing his sonic cannon into Adonis' chest. The blast from the cannon, amplified by the blows from Starfire's starbolts, disoriented the Adonis long enough for Robin and Apollo to ambush the thug and take him down with strategic blows of their own. With a hard strike from his staff and a kick to the chest, Robin knocked the air out of Adonis, giving Apollo the opening to pounce- throwing several jabs of her own to his stomach and jaw. As she prepared to throw another blow, her fist was caught in his palm, as Adonis gripped her hand and snatched her towards him.

"Woah there, Sweetie," Adonis purred, a flirty smile on his face. "You're cute," he continued, trying to spin his clearly uninterested opponent into his chest, "and I like'em fiery!" He roared as he held her up by her fist, and pulled him closer to his face. "I like a girl who plays hard to get," he continued, admiring his reflection in her eye. Trying to get a better look at himself, Adonis proceeded to try and brush her bangs aside to see himself in both of her eyes; but before he could move a single strand of her hair, the arrogant playboy was forcefully kicked in the jaw.

"Yeah, right!" Apollo shouted as she freed her hand and, slipping in another punch to his face, backflipped away from the mech-muscled pig and landing between Raven and Starfire, the three girls staring at the jerk in disgust.

"Ugh, fine," Adonis grumbled, staring at the girls while he repositioned his jaw. "You're loss. You're not my type anyway," he said as he returned to his feet, serving all three girls a quick sucker punch before trying to make his getaway, only to be blasted in the back by Cyborg's sonic cannon. Annoyed, Adonis spun around and stared angrily at the tech-savvy titan. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flaring like an enraged bull, Adonis looked around him for potential ammo and began hurling any object he could find at Cyborg and the other titans in an attempt to take them out and make his getaway. In a shower of chaotic madness, cars and trucks began plummeting from the skies, raining down on the titans as they ducked and dodged and tried to clear the streets of any straggling citizens. Just as a tricked-out SUV from the car show came crashing down atop of its owner, the innocent driver was shielded by a giant green gorilla, punching its way through the careening towards them, before turning into a horse and- with the man on its back- riding him to safety. The barrage of vehicles continued, the team continued to contain the chaos: blasting falling cars away with starbolts, psychic beams and weaponry. Amidst the vehicle shower, Cyborg and Beast Boy's attention is caught by a lone citizen who refused to leave his precious ride. Trapped inside and desperately clinging to the steering wheel of his ride, the driver was lifted over Adonis' shoulder and hurled directly towards Robin and Apollo. Seeing the driver inside, the two brace themselves and desperately try to concoct a plan to get him out unharmed, but are pushed out of the way as Cyborg- unaware of the endangered driver- prepared to destroy the falling car.

"Cyborg, Beast Boy! NO! The driver!" Robin cried to his friend. Gaining their attention, Cyborg turned to his friend to acknowledge what he'd heard, but the sound of the shrieking driver was all the conformation he needed. Only now, as he turned to his friend's distressed warning and back to the vehicle mere feet from his face, both he and Beast Boy were frozen in shock and left unable to react to the falling truck. With the horrified driver still inside, the titans knew something had to be done, but were unable to move; all except for Apollo, who impulsively leapt between the truck and her friends in the nick of time. Grabbing Beast Boy and Cyborg in her arms and bracing for impact as the truck came crashing down on top of them.

"Apollo!" Starfire screamed as she watched her friend push her and Robin aside and leapt to their friend's aide. Staring in horror at the wreckage, Robin, Starfire and Raven rushed to the crash site and desperately searched for their friends, giving Adonis a window of opportunity to escape. Frantically throwing the mangled pieces of the totaled car aside, Robin rushed to find his friends, shouting their names as he dug through the wreck. Without any response, Raven prepared to use her powers to lift the mangled car, when suddenly the wreck began to stir. Anxiously, Raven and Robin backed away and stared in disbelief as a hand shot through the roof of the car. Startled, everyone froze and watched as Apollo rose from the totaled vehicle, leading Cyborg, Beast Boy, _and_ thecar's driver _through_ the roof of the car! Staring in total disbelief Starfire blasted toward the wreckage and offered to help, only to be turned away as Apollo insisted that she had everything under control and that she couldn't let go of any of their friends, lest they be trapped in the wreck; her eyes glowing a vibrant white as she briefly glanced back at her friend.

"Apollo… How…?" Robin said, confused as she finished phasing the terrified victim through the car and escorting him towards Raven and Starfire who tended to his wounds and tried to calm him down. Awkwardly refusing to look her best friend in the eye, Apollo- her eyes still shining- turned back to the wreckage and continued to gently pull both Cyborg and Beast Boy through the car, their hands firmly grasped in her own. Once everyone had been pulled from the from the car, Apollo asked if everyone was alright, her eyes filled with pure concern and regret as their silver-white glow began to fade. Completely unharmed, everyone stood in silence- staring from the mangled remnants of the car, up to the titan who saved them from the wreck. Even her friends who had avoided the careening car, stood just as baffled as those who she'd just saved. The confused disbelief dragged on a moment longer before the car's driver finally blurted the question burning in everyone's mind.

"H-how did you do that!?"


	6. Chapter 6

"How _did_ you do that?" everyone asked Apollo back at Titans' Tower. All of them curious and determined to get an explanation.

"You mean do what's right and rescue you guys from a wreck?" Apollo replied defensively. Her eyes grieving and cold, looking through her friends, her stance was firm and prideful, but still submissive and wavering as she tried to hide her shame an unease.

"Well yeah," Beast Boy said timidly, "but like _**that**_!?" he shouted frantically. "We were pulled _though_ car! And I'm not talking about an open door!" he shouted, the events of his rescue still playing in his mind as he tried to make sense of the action. While they knew she was quick witted and full of surprises, never before had they seen their friend perform an act like that. "I mean, that car was WRECKED and we walked right through it! Like- like ghosts...!" he continued enthusiastically, before contemplating his last statement. "Wait, we _did_ survive that crash, right? We're not actually ghosts?" Beast Boy screamed, examining himself and shifting into various animals, before grabbing Cyborg and trying to stare through him too, making sure that they were both still alive and actually in the room with their friends.

"Intangibility," Raven explained to a still confused green chimp.

"What?"

"Intangibility," Apollo repeated matter-o-factly. Alertly, her friends looked up at her, awaiting further explanation. "It means I can walk through walls. (In case you haven't noticed…)."

"Yeah, but, _since_ _ **when**_ have you been able to do that?" Cyborg asked, curious but calm as he saw her unease from his question. "We've never seen you do that before."

"Because you never needed to see it," Apollo replied trying not to yell at her friend.

"But why? That was AWESOME!" Beast Boy shouted. "All this time, you could walk through walls. Just think of all of the times that could've come in handy. What else can you do!?" He asked excitedly, much to his friend's irritation. Annoyed, Apollo rolled her eyes and raised her hand in front of her face for everyone to see. Concentrating for a brief second, the others watched, amazed, as her eye began to shine with a silver-white glow and her hand began to fade away- vanishing before their eyes! " _And_ you can make yourself **invisible**!?" Beast Boy shrieked in disbelief. "Dude…!"

"I can also see through solid objects, including lead," Apollo replied in a mumble as she returned her arm to its visible state. Looking at her hand, she noticed the light from her eyes reflecting onto her palm, and quickly shut her eyes and, embarrassed, lowered her head so that her hair completely covered them both.

"Your eye is beautiful," she heard Starfire say, as she looked up and saw her friend float towards her and take her hand in a comforting manner.

"Heh, _eyes_ …" she corrected as she used her other hand to push her bangs aside and finally reveal her left eye to her friends. Surprised, they looked into her eyes and gaped at the beautiful duality of their colors: the deep cerulean blue they all knew on the right, and the icy, silver-grey lighting up the left side of her face. While everyone else took another moment to gaze at her eyes and wonder why she'd kept them half-shielded, Cyborg looked passed their color and into the expression of shame and anger held within them. Having already seen what she kept hidden behind her hair, he knew it wasn't something she wanted exposed and, noticing how hard she was struggling not to recover it, he quickly changed the subject.

"This in incredible," he said, proceeding to thank her for her actions back at the car show.

"Yeah but," Robin added, "why are you only telling us this now? How long have you been able to do this?" he asked, trying to understand why his friend who keep such a big secret- keep it from him.

"No one ever asked," Apollo shrugged awkwardly. "Besides, last I checked 'super powers' aren't mandatory on the team resume," she said to him sarcastically, trying to hide her unease behind a snarky remark. "Don't get too attached," she continued, lightly rubbing the injection site on her arm as she spoke, "Today was a last resort scenario. I don't rely on what's not needed, so don't get used to it," she said, her voice growing more embittered with every statement.

"But you have an amazing gift-" Starfire said optimistically, only to be cut off.

"-I never wanted this 'gift'!" Apollo snapped. "I don't need them. I didn't then, and I don't now." She continued angrily, the silver glow in her eyes returning. Sensing their friend's growing hostility, Robin decided to drop the subject, despite his and the others' remaining questions. Turning their focus to the more pressing matter of Adonis, the titans all made their way to the main observatory to search for any signs that Adonis was still roaming the streets and causing trouble; but while the others prepared for their search, Cyborg, sensing Apollo's lingering embarrassment, stayed behind and attempted to speak with his friend one-on-one.

"H-hey, you sure you're alright?" He asked tentatively, though she didn't answer, her attention directed to her hand- now clenched around her mid-arm. "O? You okay…?" he asked again as he approached and finally gained her attention.

"Wha- oh, yeah, Cyborg," she sighed transparently.

"Thanks, for the save back there," he said kindly, trying to brighten her spirits and convey his gratitude for her rescue. Shyly she nodded, a timid attempt at a smile on her lips. She faced in his direction but refused to look him in the eye. "I know it didn't exactly sound like it, but BB's grateful too. You now how hyped he gets when something cool happens-"

"-If you want to call it that," Apollo replied, finally looking up at Cyborg. Seeing the concerned look in his eyes and his kind smile, she finally removed her hand from her arm and relaxed her shoulders a little before letting out a falsely annoyed sigh and pushing her hair back slightly. "I guess I don't have to hide it from you," she said as she spoke to him, revealing both of her eyes. "You've already seen it," she continued, referencing their first mission together. "Now you know why I never said anything."

"Actually, I don't," Cyborg replied matter-o-factly. "Beast Boy and Starfire are right. What you did back there was amazing! Why keep it secret? You have a gift-"

"-No," Apollo quickly corrected. "A gift is given out of kindness. A well-intentioned gesture," she continued, reflecting on the memory in her nightmare. "This, was _no_ gift. Gifts, aren't forced…" She growled as she approached Cyborg and phased her hand through the wall to his left, then pulled it back through and made the entire right side of her body invisible.

"What do you mean? Someone did this to you?" Cyborg asked, curious, concerned. Stoically Apollo looked down at her hands and nodded.

"Slade," she growled bitterly, much to her friend's surprise. Not giving him a chance to inquire further, she continued to explain and get the secret off of her chest. "Like any good father, he wanted perfection; and apparently, this is what it looks like," she sighed, the flickering glow in her eyes reflecting off of Cyborg's chest plate.

"He did this to you?" defeated, she sighed, her fist clenched as she tried to keep her emotions in check and overcome the growing headache she felt stemming from her traumatic nightmare.

"'Genetic enhancement' he called it," she said mockingly. "For the best…" she continued, her voice eerily resembling the cold heartless tone Cyborg and the others knew all too well.

"Wow… O, I'm sorry," Cyborg said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder, hoping the gesture wouldn't pass through- literally or metaphorically. Surprisingly, she allowed him to touch her and inhaled deeply, an accepting smile pushing through her anger.

"Don't be," she assured. "That was a long time ago, and like I said, today was a one-time thing. I don't need these powers. I've proven it to him, and to myself. He wasted his time," she said in a strong tone. "Just glad you guys are okay."

"Thanks," Cyborg replied warmly. "But, are you?" he asked caringly. "I know it's kind of, your thing, but, you don't have to keep everything a secret anymore. If you ever wanna talk," he gently squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as he spoke. "We're all here to listen." Gratefully, Apollo smiled and, returning her bangs to their place over her eye, she thanked Cyborg before leading the way to the observatory with the others.


End file.
